Crafting Wedding Cake Boxes: Block-Style For Beginners

Wedding cake boxes are a great way to add a personal and budget-friendly touch to your special day. In this guide, we will explore how to make a wedding cake card box, as well as a wedding cake gift box, to keep cards and gifts secure until the newlyweds are ready to open them. With a few simple steps and supplies, you can create a beautiful and functional addition to your wedding décor.

How to make wedding cake boxes blocks

Sourcing materials

The first step in making wedding cake boxes is to gather the necessary materials. The specific materials you will need will depend on the design and style of your wedding cake boxes. Here is a general guide on sourcing the materials:

Start by deciding on the size and shape of your boxes. For wedding cake boxes, a set of nesting boxes in graduated sizes can be used to create a tiered cake effect. Make sure the smallest box is large enough to accommodate a slot for greeting cards. You can find nesting boxes in various materials such as papier-mâché, cardboard, or craft paper. These boxes can often be purchased from craft stores or online.

Next, you will need to gather the materials for decorating your boxes. This can include paint, wallpaper, heavy-duty gift wrap, or scrapbook paper to cover the boxes. Choose a colour or pattern that complements your wedding theme. You will also need a glue gun and glue sticks to attach the decorations to the boxes.

To create a slot for greeting cards, you will need a box cutter or an X-acto knife. Mark the slot with a ruler and pencil, ensuring it is long enough and wide enough to accommodate standard greeting cards.

For additional decorations, you can use assorted trim, beads, sequins, pearls, silk flowers, ribbons, and other embellishments. These can be purchased from craft stores or online. If you plan to use ribbons, choose a sturdy option such as grosgrain ribbon.

Finally, consider the tools you will need for measuring and cutting. A ruler, pencil, and scissors are essential. You may also want to invest in a paper cutter for more precise cuts.

Once you have sourced all the necessary materials, you can begin assembling and decorating your wedding cake boxes. Remember to allow enough time for the paint or glue to dry between steps.

Cutting a card slot

To make wedding cake boxes blocks, you can follow the below steps:

First, decide on the size of your card slot. The most common size for a card is A-2, which is made from a half sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" card stock. This will give you a card front of 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" to design.

Next, you will need to score and cut your card stock. You can do this by taking your 8 1/2" x 11" piece of card stock and cutting it in half, either lengthwise or widthwise. This will give you two card bases, and you can choose whether you want your card in portrait or landscape mode.

Now you have your card base, you can decide on the size of your card slot. There is no right or wrong answer, but if you want an equal border all the way around, you will need to cut a slot that is slightly smaller than the card front. A popular choice is to cut a slot that is 5 1/2" x 4 1/4", which will give your card a clean and crisp look.

Once you have decided on the size of your card slot, you can use a ruler and a craft knife to carefully cut the slot. Make sure you have a steady hand and a protected work surface, as you will be cutting through cardboard.

You can also use a box cutter or a Dremel tool with a small cutting wheel to cut the slot. If you use a box cutter, make sure to use a fresh blade and work slowly and carefully to get a straight cut. With a Dremel, go slowly and use a steady hand to avoid cutting too deeply into the cardboard.

Now you have a perfectly cut card slot in your wedding cake box block! You can decorate the box as you wish and add a card with a personal message for your guests.

Making holes for cards to drop through

Firstly, set aside the box lid of the smallest box, which will be the top layer of your wedding cake card box. On the bottom of the box that fits this lid, draw a circle with a roughly two-inch border from the edge of the box bottom. Cut out this circle to create an opening.

Next, measure the width of the bottom of the box you just cut the circle from. For the lid of the next box in your stack, you will need to cut a hole that is one inch narrower than this width. It's important to leave this border so that you have space to glue the boxes together. Draw and cut out this circle on the lid of the next box.

Repeat this process for the remaining boxes in your stack, except for the largest box at the bottom. Do not cut a hole in the bottom of this box, as this will be where the cards ultimately drop into.

Finally, stack the boxes with the smallest box with the slot at the top. Test if a card can smoothly drop through the slot and fall all the way down through the holes in the box lids into the bottom box. If not, adjust the holes as needed.

Now you have successfully created holes for cards to drop through in your wedding cake card box!

Covering the box

Now that you've cut the slot and holes in your boxes, it's time to cover them with your chosen material. You can use coordinating paint, wallpaper, heavy-duty gift wrap, or scrapbook paper for this step. If you cut the slot and holes before covering the boxes, you will need to make a cut in the centre of the slot and holes, fold under the cut edges, and glue them down on the inside of your box.

For a neater finish, it is recommended to cut the holes and cover the boxes first and then cut the slot. If you choose to do it this way, make sure you have a sharp box cutter or X-acto knife to create clean edges. You will only need to touch up the cut edges with paint.

To cover the lids, simply trace around them on your chosen paper, cut them out, and glue them down. For the sides of the boxes, measuring is crucial. Measure the height of each side and the circumference of the box to get the correct paper measurement before cutting. Add about a 1/2" overlap to be safe. Then, glue the paper to the sides, trimming any overhanging edges if necessary.

Don't worry too much if your edges are not perfect, as you can always cover them up with trim. However, be sure to glue down any loose edges.

Decorating the box

Now comes the fun part: decorating your wedding cake card box! The possibilities are endless, but try to keep your creation in line with the style and tone of the wedding. If you opted for a smooth paper finish or painted your boxes, you could go for the look of a fondant cake and add ribbons around the bottom of each layer and a loopy bow as a topper. If the wedding has a fun, bright colour scheme, you could cut out polka dots from scrapbooking paper or make a fun topper from a children's toy.

For a more elegant look, try using 2-inch-wide iridescent ribbon, cut into 4-inch lengths, and glue into loops on the top box, ensuring you stay clear of the card slot. Glue three large silk roses on top, so they peek out a little, and make small loops of wired pearls to tuck in here and there. Wired pearls can also be used to cover any ugly edges, and a strip of scalloped wedding-look lace can be glued around the edge of each box lid to resemble decorative frosting.

Finally, assemble your boxes and place them on a pedestal cake plate. To inform guests of the box's purpose, make a tent card from scrapbook paper, with the word "Cards" written in a suitable font, so guests know this isn't an edible creation!

Frequently asked questions